Decorating to Make a Home

The first time we leave home, whether you are 18 or 40, it is often a difficult transition. Not only are we forced to take care of everything on our own for the first time, but we are struck with the way our new residence doesn't feel like home. Whether we move a fraction of a mile away or across the country, you live alone or with three other people, it can be lonely in the beginning. One big thing that will help is to make you new residence feel like home by adding your own personal touch. Unfortunately, this can be expensive. Here are some tips on make a house a home without breaking the bank.

First, make a plan. When I had my first apartment I had a new style idea every week. Of course I couldn't buy new decor every week, so when I decided to buy a home I had the chance to start over. I went the notebook route. I put a blank sheet of paper in a notebook for a every room. As each page filled up I taped a new piece of paper to the previous. I got most of my photos from Rate My Space. This is a site by HGTV in which real people post photos of their living spaces. Most are finished, some are blank slates asking for advice. It has been up for years and there are new posts everyday. There has to be something you like on there. I printed off photos from here, cut them up and tape them into my notebook. I then drew an arrow to the part I liked and jotted a note.

Other options include iPad apps and saving images. There is a great app called Moodboard that I have really enjoyed using. You can add photos, symbols and text, and a color palette. It is a lot of fun to play around with. To create my fall decor I actually printed out a board and took it to Joanne's. It is also possible to save photos to your computers photo app. This can get overwhelming though. As I have shared, I have really enjoyed Pinterest. I pin photos to various boards for each room I have. I also have a board called "craft don't spend." It's often cheaper to buy a few items and spend a few hours on making decor rather than shopping around all kinds of designer shops, spending a lot, and probably not get exactly what you want.

Websites are also great for novice designers. My mother is constantly telling me I should look into interior design. I am not a designer, I simply recognize what I like and copy it. Everything in my home was inspired by some part of a photo. I add things slowly because of budget, but it has proven to be beneficial because I can look around and see what needs to be added without being cluttered. I work on one thing at a time. Currently I'm working on a tray for my coffee table with a display of candles and bowls.

Overall, three things need to be done when you make a house a home:

1. Plan ahead by looking at photos. Make sure you have the perfect idea planned out before you start anything.


2. Add things slowly and look at the big picture. Make sure everything goes together and it doesn't look cluttered.


3. Work on one project at a time. Don't have five incomplete design projects sitting around.